Saverton arson case still on hold

A month-and-a-half after it was announced that youngsters were suspected of setting fires in three vacant structures in Saverton, 10th Judicial Circuit juvenile officials are still awaiting all the information necessary to proceed with the case.

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By DANNY HENLEYdanny.henley@courierpost.com

Hannibal Courier - Post - Hannibal, MO

By DANNY HENLEYdanny.henley@courierpost.com

Posted Apr. 16, 2013 at 7:30 AM

By DANNY HENLEYdanny.henley@courierpost.com

Posted Apr. 16, 2013 at 7:30 AM

SAVERTON

A month-and-a-half after it was announced that youngsters were suspected of setting fires in three vacant structures in Saverton, 10th Judicial Circuit juvenile officials are still awaiting all the information necessary to proceed with the case.

“We’re waiting for the transcripts of the interviews so that we know exactly what everybody said,” said Scott Burow, chief deputy juvenile officer for the 10th Judicial Circuit. “I’ve got a fairly good idea where it’s headed, but we just need to nail that down.

“It’s not often we run into delays like this, but sometimes we do and you just have to work within the system. We’ll get it processed. I’m hoping to have it fairly quickly.”

According to Burow, the transcripts will be coming from the Missouri State Fire Marshall’s Office, which earlier this year conducted a joint investigation into the fires with the Ralls County Sheriff’s Department.

Burow is uncertain when the information might arrive at his office in Hannibal.

“I’ve been expecting these (transcripts) every day for about the last week-and-a-half,” he said. “The case will be examined when we have all the evidence in front of us and we will proceed accordingly. We’ve got time and the kids are being monitored.”

The suspicious fires occurred in vacant structures in the Ralls County community on Sept. 9 and Oct. 5 of last year and Jan. 26 of this year.

In late February, Ralls County Sheriff Gerry Dinwiddie reported it had been determined that each of the fires was intentionally set. The investigation also led to the closing of a burglary investigation at the Saverton Community Center that occurred in late 2012.